Is tubing helpful or prolonging the inevitable

[casportpony]

This morning she pooped on me and it was pure Kaytee baby food. Why is that? Not digesting?

I saw that once before in a peachick from the feedsotre and never did figure out what the problem was. How many days has she been on the Baytril? How is she acting?

-Kathy

 

[seminolewind]

Today will be day three. I am up to 75 ml x 3 feedings.

 

[casportpony]

Today will be day three. I am up to 75 ml x 3 feedings.

How her attitude?

-Kathy

 

[seminolewind]

Attitude. She looks like she's waiting for the bus. She's in a horse feed pan with shavings inside a cage inside a pen next door to her flock. If I hold bread, she gobbles it down. The feed sits there. She has nice red hackles and lays an egg every other day. So she's not acting sick or depressed .

 

[casportpony]

It's possible that the combo of antibiotics have done a number on her... Hopefully she'll firm up after the Baytril. Do you have avian specific probiotics to give her when you're done with the Baytril?

-Kathy

 

[seminolewind]

Yes I do. Yesterday and today seems like she's had some explosive really watery stuff, and today the shavings were wet, but not colored. I picked her up and she squirted some more dark green/brown stuff that smells really bad. Today the one stool looked like gel and smelled really bad. I keep wondering if she got 240 ml yesterday and 240 ml today, and her crop is empty, where is it going? If it's just this fluid stuff, it reminds me of a blockage.

I do have a massive amount of probiotics, 2 different brands. But there's no directions on any of it on how much to use.

 

[casportpony]

Try making it thicker, like 1 part food to 1.5 to two parts water.

-Kathy

 

[seminolewind]

If I make it thicker, should I cut the end off the tube? The holes slow things up. I have some other tubes I can try too.

 

[seminolewind]

I ordered tubes and syringes. However, the leg is healing, she uses it more. She still stays in a feed pan in shavings. She lays an egg every other day (6 year old Polish!). She looks happy and makes noise. She will gobble down a piece of bread every time I offer it. So I've decided that I should cut back on what she's getting tubed and she has her pellets in front of her around the clock.

 

[seminolewind]

Are dry pellets her main diet? If you have time time I would mix it up. My mareks bird always gets a wet mixture of different things with a base of chicken feed.

She eats best first thing in the morning and it is always a mushy mixture of feed, egg, with rice or liver or something thrown in. I work from home so I a have the time to check on her, during the day I throw in extra stuff, when she is in the yard she eats best when I throw food on the ground for her (corn, or soft chicken feed).

Basically she likes variety (and is no doubt spoiled and expects me to bring something new 3 times a day so she is picky).

Seems to me eating is often a "social" thing for chickens just like people, if you watch the flock they often all graze at the same time, or most start to eat at the same time etc... I think a lone bird that doesn't have that social setting to instigate eating may be part of the problem in some cases.

You bring up some good points. I'm glad I moved her out next to her flock. Maybe I should move their feed bowl over closer to my patient. I do make wet mash, but she got bored with that and everything I put in front of her except if I hold a piece of bread while she eats it. I guess I'll work on promoting the flock eating together since she is only separated by hardware cloth.